Using find with -prune to Exclude Directories (Linux / macOS Guide)

Problem

When running find in large repositories, directories like node_modules, .git, and build folders can contain tens of thousands of files.

This makes searches slow and wastes CPU time.

The -prune option prevents find from descending into those directories, significantly improving performance.

Using find with -prune to Exclude Directories

This guide explains how to use the -prune option with the Unix find command to efficiently exclude directories from searches.

This is useful for ignoring directories such as:

• node_modules
• .git
• dist
• build
• cache folders
• generated output directories

Using -prune prevents find from descending into excluded directories, improving performance and reducing unnecessary filesystem traversal.

Basic Syntax

find . -type d -name "dir_to_exclude" -prune -o -type f -name "*.svg" -print

Explanation

• -type d -name "dir_to_exclude" -prune
  Stops descending into the specified directory.
• -o
  Logical OR operator.
• -type f -name "*.svg" -print
  Matches and prints SVG files.

Example: Exclude a Single Directory

Exclude node_modules:

find . -type d -name "node_modules" -prune -o -type f -name "*.svg" -print

Example: Exclude Multiple Directories

Exclude node_modules, .git, and dist:

find . \
  -type d \( -name "node_modules" -o -name ".git" -o -name "dist" \) -prune \
  -o -type f -name "*.svg" -print

Example: Exclude by Full Path (More Precise)

find . \
  -path "./node_modules" -prune -o \
  -path "./dist" -prune -o \
  -type f -name "*.svg" -print

This is useful when directory names may appear multiple times in different locations.

Recommended Real‑World Version

This version excludes common build and dependency directories:

find . \
  -type d \( -name ".git" -o -name "node_modules" -o -name "dist" -o -name "build" \) -prune \
  -o -type f -name "*.svg" -print

This is the recommended approach for most projects.

Alternative Method Using -not -path

find . -type f -name "*.svg" \
  -not -path "*/node_modules/*" \
  -not -path "*/.git/*"

Important Note

This method still traverses excluded directories, making it slower than using -prune.

Use -prune whenever performance matters.

Summary

When to Use

Use -prune when:

• Working with large repositories
• Ignoring dependency directories
• Ignoring build output
• Optimizing filesystem searches

Example Use Case

Find all SVG files in a project while ignoring dependency and build directories:

find . \
  -type d \( -name ".git" -o -name "node_modules" -o -name "dist" -o -name "build" \) -prune \
  -o -type f -name "*.svg" -print